Contra Costa College
Course Description and Syllabus
ESL 178 - Grammar V – 4 Units
Semester:
Instructor:
Office:
Office Hours:
Office Phone:
E-Mail:
Class Dates:
Holidays:
Schedule:
Final Exam:
Advisory: Successful completion of ESL-172 or appropriate score on ESL Placement Test.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course provides instruction in grammar and writing for high-advanced ESL students.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Students will demonstrate their ability to communicate their ideas clearly and effectively using a
variety of sentence patterns.
2. Students will demonstrate their ability to communicate their ideas clearly and effectively using a
variety of sentence patterns.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
At the completion of the course, students will be able to:
1.
Use targeted grammatical structures correctly in guided spoken and written communication.
2.
Use specific grammar points to write passages of 300-400 words.
3.
Integrate a variety of sentences in their writing: simple, compound, and complex.
4.
Identify targeted grammatical structures in reading passages.
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION:
Methods of instruction:
1.
Explicit instruction on grammatical structures, including proofreading and editing
2.
Exercises, including identification of structures in texts
3.
Pair and group discussions/activities
4.
Feedback on student writing and oral production
5.
Computer-aided instruction
TEXTBOOK AND SUPPLIES:
Textbook: Communicate What You Mean, 2nd edition, 1997, Carroll Washington
Pollock (revised by Samuela Eckstut), Longman
Three-ring binder with lots of lined paper and dividers
Four or five large blue books for writing journals
Note: If you purchase a used textbook, it must be COMPLETELY ERASED.
Recommended:
Longman’s Dictionary of American English
Required:
GRADES AND ASSIGNMENTS:
1.
2.
3.
3.
Tests
Homework and class work (including quizzes)
In and out of class writing assignments
Final exam
40%
20%
20%
20%
A letter grade will be assigned based on the following categories: 90-100% = A,
80-89% = B, 70-79% = C, 60-69% = D, below 60% = F. Students who choose
the Credit/No Credit option will receive CR for an average of 70% and above,
or NC for an average of 69% or below.
Course expectations: [Optional – can be modified]
I expect you to be present in every class meeting and participate actively in class activities. You must
come to class on time and complete your homework before class begins. This is a four-unit course, so you
will have to spend approximately eight hours a week doing homework and preparing for class.
Attendance policy: If you miss class often, regardless of the reason, you will not learn the material
covered by the course. For that reason, there are no excused absences in this course. If you miss more
than three class meetings/six hours of class, you may be dropped from the class. When you are late to
class, I will add up the number of minutes you miss. Each fifty-minute period will count as an hour of
class. If you miss class, contact a classmate or me to find out what the homework is. I expect you to
complete the homework even if you miss class.
When students are late, unprepared, or distracted, they can’t learn and they don’t let other students learn, so we
must all do our part to create a good learning environment. This includes respecting and supporting other
members of the class, doing our share of the work in groups, staying on task, speaking English, and listening to
the instructor or other students when they are speaking to the class. Telephones and beepers must be turned off
and put away before class begins.